Beniya Mukayu

“An empty room will be filled with light because of its emptiness.” These are the words of the famous Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, who lived 2,300 years ago. His words signify that a mind entirely free of everything exists in a place of nothing ─ a place belonging to nowhere. “MUKAYU” is also a word from Zhuangzi, meaning “non-existence”, “non-purpose” or “the natural state as it is”, which he uses in an essay as “MUKAYU country”. In “MUKAYU country”, the values of people are overturned. Things considered useless are instead regarded as possessing great value. Take for example a large tree standing beside a road. Because the tree is bent and twisted, it is of no use for timber and so is left uncut. And because it has grown so tall, it is able to give pleasant shade to weary travelers on the road. Consider the time that remains as empty space in a busy schedule book. It is in fact time filled with freedom, because it is empty. It is the peace of mind found in the shade of a large tree that had initially appeared useless. Such are the thoughts and feelings that reside in the name of this inn, “MUKAYU”.